Torsionally operated door closure



J1me 1966 A. R. COSTANTINI ET AL 3,254,452

TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR CLOSURE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/GI/ IN VENTOR- ANTHONY IF. COSMNT/N/ AN T HON V 0/ ANGEL US lav/m ATTORNEY June 7, 1966 A. R. COSTANTINI E AL 3,254,452

TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR CLOSURE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ANTHONY 01/! N65 L US ATTORA/[V June 7, 1966 A. R. COSTANTINI ET 3,254,452

TORSIONALLY OPERATED noon CLOSURE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS ANTHONY RCOSTANT/N/ ANTHONY D/ANGELUS ATTORNEY June 7, 1966 A. R. COSTANTINI ET AL 3,

TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR CLOSURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 12, 1963 INVENTORS ANTHONY/P. COSTANT/N/ BY AN THON 7 0114 N6 EL U5 ATTORNEY Jun 7, 1966 cos l ET AL 3,254,452

TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR CLOSURE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS ANTHONY R. COST/UVTl/V/ ANTHONY DlA/VGEL U5 LWM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,254,452 TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR CLOSURE Anthony R. Costantini, Lafayette Hill, and Anthony Di Angelus, Manoa, Pa., assignors to Victory Metal Manufacturing Company, doing business as Victory Metal Manufacturing Corporation, Plymouth Meeting, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 308,476 Claims. (Cl. 49-386) This invention relates generally to door closing mechanisms, and more particularly, relates to a door operating assembly including a torsion rod structure which is concealed within the door and disposed along the hinging axis, being rendered effective by securement both to the door structure and to the physical support which mounts the "door lockout mechanism operative to hold a door in its opened position against the return force exerted thereupon by the aforesaid torsion rod system, the door lockout system including an override catch which may be readily disengaged by the application of suitable closing force to the door, the amount of closing force required being somewhat more than that exerted by the torsion rod closing device alone.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel torsional door closing device and overridable lockout structure as aforedescribed together with a restraining device operating in conjunction withthe lockout mechanism to prevent more than a predetermined degree of door opening swing.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become clear from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with an examination of the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l illustrates in fragmentary perspective view a refrigerator door and its supporting hinge bracket structure secured to and carried by the door frame portion of a cabinet, as would be seen with the door opened at substantially 90 from its closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view'taken through the vertically extending inner edge of the door of FIG- URE 1 and its supporting hinge bracket structure as would be seen when viewed in the plane indicated by the lines 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the hinge bracket and torsion rod assembly removed from the door structure but otherwise shown in the relationship corresponding to the door position of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 illustrates-a bottom view looking upward at the lower hinge bracket and combined door restrainer and lockout mechanism as would be seen with the door strainer shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 illustrates the door restrainer of FIGURE 7 extended into a second detent position beyond that illustrated in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the hinge bracket pivot and the, modified restrainer and lockout mechanism as would be seen when viewed along the line 1010 of FIGURE 7, and is comparable to that of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 11 is an exploded perspective view, similar to that of FIGURE 3, of a modified form of hinge bracket and torsion rod assembly removed from the door structure but otherwise shown in the relationship corresponding to the door position of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 12 is a vertical sectional view as would be taken similarly to that of FIGURE 2 but with respect to the modified form of binge bracket and torsion rod shown in FIGURE 11.

In the several figures, like elements are denoted by like reference characters.

Referring now to the figures, and first to FIGURES 1 to 3, there will be seen a hollow door designated generally as 30 including a channel type peripheral frame 31 having secured to the inside peripheral face thereof a gasket 32. The rear of the door 30 is closed by a door liner 33 which holds in place the insulation 34 Within the door interior. The door 30 is supported in the manner to be described by a top hinge bracket 35 and bottom hinge bracket 36 secured to the door frame 37 of the cabinet by means of screw fasteners 38 projected through slots 39 in the respective vertical legs 35a and 36a of the top and bottom hinge brackets 35 and 36. Y

- The horizontal leg 36b of the bottom hinge bracket 36 is provided with a knurled aperture 40 punched therethrough, and upward through which is projected a stud 41 formed with a knurled collar 42 which jam fits into the knurled aperture 40 to hold the stud in position so that the sleeve 43 of low friction material may be -proiected downwardly over the stud pivot pin 44. The horizontally extending bottom edge of the channel frame 31 designated as 31a, is apertured to receive the sleeved pivot pin, as best seen in FIGURE 2, so that the door 30 can swing about a vertical axis passing through the pivot pin 44 with the weight of the door being carried by the bracket 36. The sleeve 43 is of course flanged as at 43a so that the door bottom channel part 31a does not come into metal-to-metal contact with the underlying horizontal leg 36b of the bottom hinge bracket, this being best seen in the showings of FIGURES 2 and 6.

The hinge connection at the upper end of the door 30 is formed by the top hinge bracket 35, a hinge bracket part 45 secured within the door 30 to the channel frame 31 near the top of the door, and a cylindrical pintle 46. The hinge bracket 45 secured within the door channel 31 as by means of the screws 47 is a generally F-shaped bracket when viewed from the side including a vertically oriented plate 45a and a pair of spaced apart horizontally projecting-generally square arms 45b centrally vertically circularly apertured as at 450 so that the cylindrical pintle 46 'IS projectable rotatably close fittingly therewithin, as is also best seen in FIGURE 2.

The upper end of the cylindrical pintle 46 has formed thereon or physically rigidly affixed thereto a square sided nut 46a of smaller transverse size than the diameter of the cylindrical pintle 46 so that the nut 46a may pass upward freely rotatably through a hole 48 cut through the top door channel 31b and into close fitting keyed engagement within a square hole 49 shaped complementally to the nut 46a and cut through the horizontal leg 35b of the top hinge bracket 35. The cylindrical pintle 46 is locked to the top hinge bracket 35 by means of the bolt- 50 which is threaded into the nut 46a at the top of the pintle. Since the pintle is free to rotate within the apertures 450 of the door carried hinge bracket 45, it will be understood that bracket 45 swings axially about the fixed pintle 46 whenever the door 30 is swung open or closed.

The torsion rod door closing system is formed by the fixed cylindrical pintle 46, the torsion rod 51 having upper and lower loops 51a and 51b respectively, and the anchor block 52 secured to the vertically extending door channel frame portion 31c proximate the bottom end thereof by means of the bolts 53 and 54. The torsion rod upper loop 51a is projected upward into a receiving slot 46b extending diametrically and axially upward from the bottom end of the cylindrical pintle 46, and the lower loop 51b of the torsion rod 51 is secured tightly against the anchor block 52 by projection of the loop 51b over the shank of the bolt 54 and securement thereon by means of a flat washer 55 and nut 56 threaded onto the end of the bolt 54. Thus, with the lower end of the torsion rod 51 fixedly secured to the door frame 31 and with the upper end of the torsion rod fixedly secured to the fixed hinge pintle 46, it is clear that the torsion rod may be so installed within the door that it is in a substantially untorsioned state when the door 30 is closed against the cabinet door frame 37, and that subsequent opening of the door will torsion the rod 51 in such sense that upon release of the door the torsional force exerted will act to close the door and reduce the torsion on the rod.

The torsion in the torsion rod 51 may be preset in the following way. Before securing the top hinge bracket 35 to the pintle 46 by projecting the pintle nut 46a into the square hole 49 and locking the bracket to the pintle with the bolt 50, a handle device may be projected downward through the square hole 49 and into threaded engagement with the nut 46a. The handle device may then be turned through as many 90 turns as desired to pre-torsion the rod 51. When the desired degree of torsion has been established, the top hinge bracket 35 is moved downward so that the pintle nut 46a is projected into the square hole 49 to thereby lock the pintle against counter rotation when the handle device is thereafter reversely turned out of threaded engagement with the nut 46a. The bolt 50 is now projected into the nut 46a and tightened down to secure the pintle 46 and top hinge bracket 35 together. It will be appreciated of course that the nut 46a need not be of square shape, but could be just as readily made in the form of a triangle, hexagon, octagon or any other shape, provided that the hole 49 in the top hinge bracket 35 is formed so that a keyed or locked relationship between the pintle and the hinge bracket is always obtainable.

Considering now the door restraining and lockout devices of FIGURES 4 to 6, it is observed that a rigid strap element 57 is pivotally secured at one end thereof to the bottom hinge bracket 36 by means of a nut and bolt 58. The rigid strap 57 closely underlies the bracket 36, as best seen in FIGURE 6,.and then is upwardly stepped as at 59 so that the remaining portion 60 fairly closely underlies the door channel frame bottom leg 31a, the portion 60 of the rigid strap 57 being longitudinally slotted as at 61 and provided with an end region aperture 62 longitudinally aligned with slot 61 but unconnected therewith. Disposed within the slot 61 and substantially equal in thickness thereto is a slider 63 through which is vertically projected a bolt 64 which is threadedly engaged into a fitting 65 fixedly secured to the door frame lower leg 31a. Also fixedly secured to the door frame bottom leg 31a and projecting downward therethrough is a bullet catch casing 66 within which is vertically shiftably disposed a springloaded bullet catch 67, the mounting of the bullet catch and casing being such that the bullet catch 67 projects into the longitudinal slot 61 of the rigid strap portion 60 immediately adjacent to the bolt 64.

As best seen in FIGURES 4 and 6, when the door 30 is closed against the frame 37 the rigid strap 57 is disposed so that the bolt 64 and bullet catch 67 lie within the longitudinal slot 61 at the end of the latter closest to the stepped portion 59. On the other hand as best seen in FIGURE 5, when the door 30 is opened out away from the door frame 37 the rigid strap 57 shifts so that the longitudinal slot 61 moves smoothly past the slider 63 and bullet catch 67 until the latter abuts the bridge 68 which separates the slot 61 from the end aperture 62. Continued outward opening motion of the door 30 causes the bridge 68 to cam the bullet catch 67 upward into its casing 66 against the spring biasing pressure so that the bullet catch 67 overrides the bridge 68 and then snaps outward into the end aperture 62, as is most clearly seen in the showing of FIGURE 5. When the bullet catch 67 snaps outward into the end apertu-rs 62 the slider 63 simultaneously comes into abutment with the side edge of the bridge 68 forming the end of the longitudinal slot 61 to thereby prevent further motion of the rigid strap 57 relatively to the slider 63 and hence prevent further opening motion of the door 30. If the door is now released, the torsion rod system previously described exerts a door closing force upon the door 30 but motion is prevented by the bullet catch 67 which is disposed within' the end aperture 62. In order to close the door, sufiicient additional force must be exerted against the door to cause the bridge 68 to cam the bullet catch 67 upward into its casing 66 and permit the bullet catch to ride over the bridge 68 and into the slot 61, the torsion rod system thereafter exerting sufiicient force to close the door 30 without further aid. The bullet catch 67 and the end aperture 62 in the rigid strap 57 of course constitute the lockout mechanism for the door and are observed to be incorporated into the door restraining mechanism.

Considering now the modified door restraining and lockout device of FIGURES 7 through 10, it is observed that the rigid strap element 69 pivotally secured at one end thereof to the hinge bracket 70 by means of nut and bolt 71 is very similar to the previously described rigid strap element 57 illustrated in FIGURE 4, differing therefrom in the slotted region thereof. The rigid strap 69 is longitudinally slotted with a parallel sided slot region 72 joined at its outer end to a pair of in-line circular apertures 73 and 74, the aperture 73 joining the slot 72 at a narrowed opening formed by inwardly projecting cusps 75 and being separated from the circular aperture 74 by a narrow slotted opening 76. The circular apertures 73 and 74 are of a diameter substantially equal to the width of the parallel sided slot regions 72, and the side of the circular aperture 74 diametrically opposite from the slotted opening 76 opens out endwise through a wedge 77 cut through the end of the rigid strap 69. Disposed within the slot 72 and underlying the lower face of the rigid strap 69 is a slider 78through which is vertically projected a bolt 79 which is threadedly engaged into a fitting 80 fixedly secured to the door frame lower leg, which latter is designated as 81.

As best seen in FIGURES 7 and 10 when the refrigerator door is closed against the frame, the rigid strap 69 is disposed so that the slider 78 lies within the longitudinal slot 72 at the end of the latter remote from the circular apertures 73 and 74. On the other hand, as best seen in FIGURE 8, when the refrigerator door is opened out away from the door frame the rigid strap 69 shifts so that the longitudinal slot 72 moves smoothly past the slider until the latter abuts the cusps which separate the slot portion 72 from the proximate aperture 73. Continued outward opening pressure on the door causes the slider 78 to cam apart the cusps 75 and allow the slider to ride therebetween into the circular aperture 73, this condition being illustrated in FIGURE 8. The door of course will remain in this position until the slider is positively forced back into the parallel slot 72 past the cusps 75.

In the event that an unusually strong opening door force is for some reason applied to the door, the slider 78 may be forced out of the circular aperture 73 and into the aperture 74 through the slotted opening 76. This condition is illustrated in the showing of FIGURE 9 and represents a second lockout or detented position. Any force applied to the door in opening direction in excess of that sufficient to position the door as illustrated in FIGURE 9 will move the slider 78 outward through the wedge shaped opening 77 and completely out of engagement with the rigid strap 69. The door of course may be readily re-engaged with the strap 69 by properly positioning the slider 78 within the wedge shaped opening 77 and then applying sufficient door closing force to move the slider into and through the circular apertures 74 and 73 and into the parallel sided slot region 72.

Consider now FIGURES 11 and 12, which are generally organized in the manner of previously described FIGURES 2 and 3 but which illustrate a modified form of hinge bracket. and torsion rod. assembly. The top and bottom brackets 135 and 136 which secure the door 130 to the cabinet are mirror images of one another, the top bracket 135 being identical to the bracket 35 shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The door 130 is similar to previously described door 30 in that it is provided with a channel type frame 131 having a vertically extending leg 1131c, and horizontally extending bottom and top legs designated respectively as 131a and 13112. Disposed within the channel frame in flat surface contact with the inside of the horizontal top leg 131b and vertical leg 1310 is an L-shaped angle piece 137 the upper horizontal leg of which is provided with a circular aperture 138 which is concentric with the circular hole 148 out through the top horizontal leg 113112 of the channel frame 131.

An L-shaped flat bracket 139'is disposed in inverted position with its vertical leg seated flatwise against the vertical leg of the L-shaped angle piece 137 and with its horizontal leg disposed in downwardly spaced underlying parallel fashion to the horizontal leg of the L-shaped angle piece 137. The horizontal leg of the bracket 139 is provided with a circular aperture 140 of the same size as the aperture 138 in the angle piece 137, the apertures 138 and 140 being co-axially disposed so thatthe reduced diameter opposite ends 142 of the cylindrical sleeve 141 may be fixedly secured respectively within the apertures 138 and 140 to thereby position the sleeve 141 between the angle piece 137 and bracket 139 when the latter are fixedly secured together and to the door frame 131 as, for example, by means of welding or by machine screw fastenings projected through aligned holes thereof.

Close fittingly rotatably projectable into the sleeve 141 is the cylindrical pintle 146. The upper end of the cylindrical pintle 146 has formed thereon or physically rigidly afiixed thereto a square sided nut 146a of smaller transverse size than the diameter of the cylindrical pintle 146- so that the nut 146a may pass upward freely rotatably through a hole 148 out through the top of the door channel 131b and into close fitting keyed engagement within the square hole 149 shaped complementally to the nut 146a. and cut through the horizontal leg of the hinge bracket 135. A nylon or other low friction washer 143 is disposed between the under surface of the top bracket closed. The same type of pivotal support structure is located at the bottom end of the door 130, the hinge structure parts being the same as those just described with the exception that the L-shaped angle piece 137a at the bottom is a mirror image of the corresponding angle piece 137 located at the top of the door. These angle pieces 137 and 137a not only support the pintle sleeves 141'but also materially reinforce and strengthen the structure of the door 130, particularly in the hinge corner regions which must carry the mass load of the door.

The torsion rod door closing structure is formed by the upper fixed cylindrical pintle 146 and the torsion rod 151 having an upper hook formation 151a and a vertically elongated bottom loop 151b. The torsion rod upper hook 151a is projected into hooked engagement.

with the bottom of the pintle 146 by projection into the L-shaped aperture 1461) which locks the torsion rod 151 against rotation relatively to the pintle 146. The torsion rod bottom loop 151b is anchored to the lower end of the door channel frame 1310 together with shouldered washer 155 by means of machine screw 154 and nut 156. The elongated form of the bottom loop 151]: of the torsion rod 151 permits the loop to move vertically on the washer 155 to avoid tension in the torsion rod and on the door frame as the rod contracts axially when the rod is torsioned due to opening of the door 130.

The torsion rod structure just described operates in precisely the same manner as has been previously described for the structures illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, and the torsion may be pre-set in the manner also earlier set forth. However, since the pintle structures at the top and bottom of the door illustrated in FIG- URES. l1 and 12 are exactly the same, it will be appreciated that the torsion rod could be installed so that it is anchored to the door at its upper end and engaged with the pintle at the lower end. Finally, the door may be provided with restraining and lock-out devices, as for example those designated as 169 at both the top and the bottom of the door illustrated in FIGURES 11 and 12, these devices being substantially the same as those previously described in detail in connection with the showings of FIGURES 7 through 10.

Having now disclosed our invention in connection with' particularly illustrated embodiments thereof it will be" apparent that variations and modifications of our invention may now occur from time to time to those persons normally skilled in the art without departing from the essential spirit or scope of our invention, and accordingly it is intended to claim the same broadly as well as specifically as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

' 1. A torsionally operated door assembly comprising, in combination, a door body having spaced inner and outer facing panels secured together along the vertical and horizontal edges of the door, said door being adapted for swinging movement about a vertical axis disposed between its said facing panels closely adjacent one of its vertical edges, relatively fixed vertically spaced top and bottom supporting brackets for the door each having pintles extending inwardly of the opposite horizontal edges of the door in coaxial alinernent with the swinging axis of the door, said pintles constituting vertically spaced fixed pivots about which said door may swing, vertically spaced members respectively disposed internally of the door body in embracing relation to said pintles to serve as bearings for the latter, a torsion rod extending along 135 and the upper surface of the top run of the door the swinging axis of said door having one end thereof non-rotatably secured to the door in close proximity to and in free relation to one of said pintles and its opposite and non-rotatably secured to the other one of said pintles, at least one end of said torsion rod being axially shiftable relatively to the member to which it is nonrotatably secured to compensate for contraction of the rod and so render it axially self-adjusting when it is torsioned under swinging movement, and coacting means in said last-mentioned pintle and its associated bracket for permitting the pintle to be rotatably adjusted relatively to the bracket and so impart a torsional twist to the torsion rod to pre-torsion the same to a predetermined degree and thereafter retain the pintle in its adjusted position relatively to its associated bracket, said coacting means including complementally shaped interlocking elements which are accessible from the exterior of the door body to vary the angular relation between said elements and thereby adjust the torsional twist of said torsion rod.

2. In a torsionally operated door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein one end of said torsion rod is bent laterally of its longitudinal axis and the pintle associated with said bent end of the torsion rod is socketed to nonrotatably receive said bent end.

3. In a torsionally operated door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein one of said pintles is kerfed and the end of the torsion rod associated therewith is provided with a broadened portion which is slidably received within the kerf of said one pintle.

4. In a torsionally operated door assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein said broadened end portion of the torsion rod is in the form of a loop coplanar with the longitudinally extending portion of the rod.

5. In a torsionally operated door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one end of the torsion rod is looped to provide a slot for a pin and slot connection of said end with the door and wherein said door supports a pin extending through said slot to complete said pin and slot connection.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,173,408 2/1916 Barnes 1675 2,878,531 3/1959 Benham 2016 2,908,050 10/1959 Sullivan et al 20l6 2,934,784 5/1960 Price et al 16180 2,987,782 6/1961 Kurowski 20-16 3,000,044 9/1961 Allen et al 16-82 3,103,692 9/1963 Ruck et al 1682 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

K. DOWNEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TORSIONALLY OPERATED DOOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A DOOR BODY HAVING SPACED INNER AND OUTER FACING PANELS SECURED TOGETHER ALONG THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EDGES OF THE DOOR, SAID DOOR BEING ADAPTED FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS DISPOSED BETWEEN ITS SAID FACING PANELS CLOSELY ADJACENT ONE OF ITS VERTICAL EDGES, RELATIVELY FIXED VERTICALLY SPACED TOP AND BOTTOM SUPPORTING BRACKETS FOR THE DOOR EACH HAVING PINTLES EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE OPPOSITE HORIZONTAL EDGES OF THE DOOR IN COAXIAL ALINEMENT WITH THE SWINGING AXIS OF THE DOOR, SAID PINTLES CONSTITUTING VERTICALLY SPACED FIXED PIVOTS ABOUT WHICH SAID DOOR MAY SWING, VERTICALLY SPACED MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED INTERNALLY OF THE DOOR BODY IN EMBRACING RELATION TO SAID PINTLES TO SERVE AS BEARINGS FOR THE LATTER, A TORSION ROD EXTENDING ALONG THE SWINGING AXIS OF SAID DOOR HAVING ONE END THEREOF NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO THE DOOR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO AND IN FREE RELATION TO ONE OF SAID PINTLES AND ITS OPPOSITE AND NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID PINTLES, AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID TORSION ROD BEING AXIALLY SHIFTABLE RELATIVELY TO THE MEMBER TO WHICH IT IS NONROTATABLY SECURED TO COMPENSATE FOR CONTRACTION OF THE ROD AND SO RENDER IT AXIALLY SELF-ADJUSTING WHEN IT IS TORSIONED UNDER SWINGING MOVEMENT, AND COACTING MEANS IN SAID LAST-MENTIONED PINTLE AND ITS ASSOCIATED BRACKET FOR PERMITTING THE PINTLE TO BE ROTATABLY ADJUSTED RELATIVELY TO THE BRACKET AND SO IMPART A TORSIONAL TWIST TO THE TORSION ROD TO PRE-TORSION THE SAME TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE AND THEREAFTER RETAIN THE PINTLE IN ITS ADJUSTED POSITION RELATIVELY TO ITS ASSOCIATED BRACKET, SAID COACTING MEANS INCLUDING COMPLEMENTALLY SHAPED INTERLOCKING ELEMENTS WHICH ARE ACCESSIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE DOOR BODY TO VARY THE ANGULAR RELATION BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS AND THEREBY ADJUST THE TORSIONAL TWIST OF SAID TORSION ROD. 